Minas Gerais Mapa da Cidade

With an breadth of 588,383 km2 (a little bigger than France), Minas Gerais is the third better Brazilian State (after Amazonas and Pará); with about 18 actor people, it´s the additional best busy State (after São Paulo).

The basic is Belo Horizonte (which translates as "Beautiful Horizon"); the city breadth of Belo Horizonte concentrates abundant of the industries of the State.
The name Minas Gerais ("General Mines", or "Large Mines") is a advertence to the actuality that, during the 18th and 19th centuries, ample mines of gold and adored stones were begin in the State; some cities prospered abundant because of the gold, and still accept a affluent architecture: Ouro Preto, Mariana, Barbacena, São João del Rei.
The State is covered with moutain chains; the gold assembly declined, but several added minerals were found; the Vale do Rio Doce, one of the better mining companies in the world, owes its name to the Rio Doce (Sweet River), which flows from Minas Gerais to Espírito Santo.
Serra do Espinhaço is a decidedly important abundance chain; alteration names a few times, this alternation goes all the way up until Rio Grande do Norte, and plays and important role in defining the altitude of several States, as it separates the wet bank from the barren sertão.

There are big differences amid the south and arctic of Minas Gerais. The south has close altitude (rainy and wet seasons able-bodied defined), and the adjacency of the ample arresting markets of São Paulo and Rio helped advance the abridgement of several cities. The arctic suffers the appulse of the semi-arid altitude (little rain, impairing the soil); cities are abundant beneath busy and abundant beneath developed; the Vale do Jequitinhonha (region about the river Jequitinhonha) is one of the atomic areas of Brazil.